Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Salvia verticillata 'Purple Rain' bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Purple Rain whorled sage (Salvia verticillata 'Purple Rain').

More about salvia verticillata 'purple rain'

About Salvia verticillata 'Purple Rain'

Salvia verticillata 'Purple Rain' · also called Purple Rain whorled sage · flowering

'Purple Rain' is a whorled sage with arching stems carrying tiered whorls of soft dusky-purple flowers and purple-flushed calyces that hold colour even after petals drop. Relaxed and informal, it suits naturalistic and prairie-style plantings in full sun and free-draining soil, blooms for weeks, and is a magnet for bees.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Self-seeding: Can scatter seed and pop up where unwanted. Deadhead before seed sets if you want to limit spread, which also prolongs bloom.

The reasons salvia verticillata 'purple rain' isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming salvia verticillata 'purple rain' traces back to one of these, roughly in order of how common they are:

Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.
Too much nitrogen feed, driving lush foliage at the expense of flowers (very common with general or lawn feeds).
The plant has not been deadheaded, so it stops flowering once it sets seed.
Irregular watering — drought or waterlogging at the budding stage makes buds abort.
It is still too young or was checked by a transplant and is rebuilding before flowering.

Feeding salvia verticillata 'purple rain' a high-nitrogen general feed and growing it in too little sun — you get a big leafy plant and almost no flowers.

The fix — how to get salvia verticillata 'purple rain' to flower

Maximise sun. Give salvia verticillata 'purple rain' the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers.
Switch the feed. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.
Deadhead regularly. Remove spent flowers often to keep it producing more rather than stopping to set seed.
Water consistently. Keep moisture even through budding and flowering — drought-then-flood swings make buds drop.

Light and feeding do most of the heavy lifting here. Dial in the spot with the light guide for salvia verticillata 'purple rain' and get the feeding right with the salvia verticillata 'purple rain' fertilising schedule — the wrong feed (too much nitrogen) is one of the most common silent reasons a healthy plant makes leaves instead of flowers.

Bloom season and what to expect

Salvia verticillata 'Purple Rain' flowers across its growing season (mostly summer) and, kept fed and deadheaded, can bloom for many weeks or right up to frost.

Post-bloom care so it flowers again

Deadhead, keep feeding lightly, and many will rebloom; collect seed from the best plants at the end of the season if you want to grow them again.

For everything else this plant needs day to day, see the full salvia verticillata 'purple rain' care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Salvia verticillata 'Purple Rain' blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my salvia verticillata 'purple rain' flower?

Salvia verticillata 'Purple Rain' blooms on the season's growth given enough sun, warmth and the right feed — there is no cold or photoperiod trick, just good growing conditions and a bloom-leaning feed. The most common reason it is not happening: Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.

How do I make salvia verticillata 'purple rain' bloom?

Give salvia verticillata 'purple rain' the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.

When does salvia verticillata 'purple rain' normally bloom?